


Wholly predictable

by MyLadyDay



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace is strong, Ace's birthday, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Barebacking, Body Modifications (piercings), Body Worship, Coming Untouched, Dirty Talk, Displays of physical strength in bed, First Kiss, First Time Together, Flirting, Friendly banter, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, Getting Together, Hair-pulling, Laughter During Sex, M/M, Marco & Izou's friendship, Marco has a kink for Ace being strong, Marco is sweet af, Mentions of Crossdressing, Porn with Feelings, Praise Kink, Riding, Swearing, Temperature Play, Thatch/Izou (mentioned), a lot of feelings, copious amounts of foreplay, flirty banter, having fun, leaving marks, liberal use of endearments, mild possessive behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 06:53:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21797233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyLadyDay/pseuds/MyLadyDay
Summary: Marco hadn’t realized how much he wanted until Ace looked at him like that, with the fire of the lamp reflected in his eyes and the smile on his lips just waiting to be kissed. It hurt to look at him like that, with almost nothing between them, and not taking a step to close that distance just to taste him.
Relationships: Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Izou, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco & Portgas D. Ace, Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco/Portgas D. Ace
Comments: 10
Kudos: 168





	Wholly predictable

**Author's Note:**

> Update 16 Feb 2020: Due to the ongoing bullshit with that unofficial AO3 app, all my works are now locked and available only to registered users. DO NOT COPY MY WORK TO OTHER SITES, THIS INCLUDES TRANSLATIONS MADE WITHOUT MY CONSENT.
> 
> Thank you, Siojo, for looking it over <3

Days like these were his favorites, when everyone was alight with anticipation and behaving themselves out of fear that the festivities would be canceled if anyone was out of line. It meant less work for Marco, and more time to relax for a change. He could feel more like a commander and less like a glorified babysitter for the crew, and some of his more childish brothers. The waters were just as calm beneath them, which was a sign of good fortune to him as well. 

No one could cause trouble on a day like that, a sentiment obviously shared by the Marines as well, since they haven’t been spotted anywhere near them in a while.

But it was days like these that Izou got restless, not used to the calm or the crew behaving to this degree. He did have a point really, but Marco wasn’t prone to looking a gift horse in the mouth. Even if it was suspicious that both Thatch and Haruta had been quiet the whole day.

“I’m not sure why you don’t trust them,” Marco said, knowing exactly why Izou didn’t trust them, but had to poke the bear anyway. “They’re adults capable of behaving.”

They really weren’t. 

The way Izou stopped whatever it was he was doing and turned to stare at Marco very pointedly said he knew as much. Also that he maybe wanted to throw something at Marco.

“It’s honestly easier to just save my breath and not argue because literally every word that just came out of your mouth is wrong,” Izou said, not saving his breath at all. 

“And you know it,” he added, and finally threw something at Marco’s face. 

“Hey!” Marco complained without any heat, knowing full well he deserved that, and he caught the shoe anyway so it didn’t really do any damage. But still, it was the principle of the whole thing.

“I didn’t come here to get attacked,” he said, dropping the shoe on the floor and leaning back into the sofa like he owned the place. The sofa was his usual spot anyway, so he might as well have.

“Did you come here to annoy me?” Izou asked, once again turned towards whatever. Marco couldn’t really see, and he knew better than to ask before Izou wanted him to know.

“Technically, I came here because you asked me to,” Marco said with a grin, knowing Izou would probably  _ hear _ it.

“Regretting that a bit,” Izou said with a snort, not regretting shit.

“Liar,” Marco said fondly. 

He let his head drop back against the backrest, sinking into the sofa to actually relax like he’d wanted to all day. His cheeks almost hurt from the smile he’d been sporting ever since he’d joined Izou in his room.

“That’s slander, I’m sure,” Izou told him.

“Izou, we’re criminals,” Marco said without lifting his head, only smiling wider at the sound of Izou’s laughter.

“That doesn’t give you the right to call me a liar to my face,” Izou said through the laughter. 

“There we go!” he said before Marco could even start a retort. Probably for the better too, after all they could go at this all day as they usually did, and Marco was expecting something calmer to fit the rest of his day.

Marco lifted his head to look over at Izou again. He was holding a bundle of what looked like very fine silk. Not that Marco could really recognize what fine silk looked like from that distance, he just knew Izou wouldn’t have anything else in his wardrobe. 

Izou walked closer, thrusting the bundle into Marco’s arms. 

“I need you to put that on.”

His tone left very little room for arguing, so Marco just lifted an eyebrow at him before unfolding the silk very carefully. 

It was even smoother and softer than Marco had figured when looking at it from a distance, knowing it would be an absolute pleasure to wear. His eyes darted at Izou though, as he waited for an explanation or anything similar. Usually, Izou would always tell him the why’s and the how’s so Marco was at a loss for now. Not enough to argue though, since Izou rarely gave him reason to doubt a request like this, so he stood and let it unfurl completely in front of him.

"You know, on second thought, pink isn’t your color," Izou said thoughtfully, finger absentmindedly tapping at his chin as he looked Marco and the unfolded silk kimono over. 

“I wear purple all the time,” Marco said, gesturing to his shirt that was in fact purple.

The tapping stopped and Izou’s eyes snapped up to meet Marco’s before narrowing slightly.

“Are you implying that purple and pink are the same color?” he asked with one of those looks he usually reserved for misbehaving newbies. It would have been scary, had Marco not known Izou better than that; the look was just a very deliberately constructed mask Izou pulled whenever he tried not to burst out in laughter.

“I mean, they’re close enough,” Marco said with a shrug. He didn’t really care all that much what he wore on a daily basis, which kind of made these adventures in fashion with Izou all the more fun for them both.

Izou regarded him for a few moments more, until he broke their impromptu standoff with a sigh.

“I don’t know what kind of answer I was expecting from a man that wears purple and blue together,” he said, sounding so incredibly done, as if they hadn’t had this exact conversation every single time. 

“And then pairs it with gold too,” Marco added with a roll of his eyes, in his best imitation of Izou’s voice when he was having this particular rant. He was doing his best not to laugh too, but could tell Izou saw right through him. “And no, mimicking you is not slander,” he added as soon as Izou opened his mouth.

Izou just snorted then, like he was losing the battle with trying not to laugh and had to let out some sound, before gathering the silk from Marco’s hands.

"At least we can agree that blue  _ is _ your color," he said, the suppressed laughter so obvious in his voice, no matter how serious he tried to sound. 

“Well, thank the lord I have a color of my own,” Marco told him and rolled his eyes again, briefly debating if he should sit down again or if that would just be wasted effort. “Do I need my sandals on for this or should I take them off?”

“Don’t get me started on those,” Izou shouted over his shoulder as he hunched back over the same chest and started digging again.

“It was a simple question, you can save me the rant about my lack of  _ style _ ,” Marco said, already knowing the rant by heart because Izou perfected it over the years. “And my sandals are fine.”

It wasn’t that he hated what Marco wore that much, he just really liked ranting about random things when he was stressed, and Marco always gave him rant fuel just by existing. They were a really good match, all things considered.

“I’m not even going to grace that with a response.”

Marco huffed, for once not pointing out that that in itself was a response.

"So,” Marco started after a moment of silence, “what exactly are we doing?" 

Even without waiting for an answer to his question, Marco still pulled his shirt off as soon as he saw Izou gathering something new from the chest, then bent down to take his sandals off too. The way Izou ignored that question was pretty much a yes anyway.

"You're trying on some stuff," Izou said very redundantly, which was more of an answer than he probably wanted to give to Marco in particular.

The thing with Izou was that he never hid things or avoided saying what was on his mind, especially to Marco, unless he was avoiding mentioning something specific for the time being. Most of their crew would have something to say to that, seeing Izou as one of the scariest commanders, but Marco felt giddy. Izou never kept things from him unless they were good and worth a dramatic reveal. 

"I'm aware of that, thanks," he said like a complete brat. "I'm just wondering if there’s a special occasion you’re not telling me about."

In true Izou fashion, he said absolutely nothing, and just continued going through his chest. Which, again, was answer enough for Marco. 

“This is the one,” Izou said a while later, sounding adorably victorious at his find. “This one will suit you.”

“It’s the one for what?” Marco asked, again annoying Izou more than fishing for an actual answer.

“For you,” Izou said and held out a blue silk thing out for him to see. 

“Yeah, no shit,” Marco replied, decidedly not mentioning he had no idea what Izou was holding. He wanted to say kimono, but he knew there was more to those, but robe didn’t seem fitting somehow either, so keeping his mouth shut on the matter was the better option. 

“Not what I meant though,” Marco added with yet another roll of his eyes. He was in danger of actually hurting himself.

“You’ll need to lose the pants too,” Izou said after a quick onceover, again ignoring what Marco was saying.

“Need to lose them for what?”

“Well,  _ need _ is such a strong word,” Izou replied, a master of ignoring the actual question. “It’s more of a suggestion that you’ll probably be thanking me for later.”

“When you say it like that,” Marco said and dropped his pants as well, kicking them over towards the sofa where his shirt was.

“Might want to consider underwear next time we hang out,” Izou said with a snort and Marco repaid him in kind.

“In my defense,” he said without a smidge of shame, “you never mentioned my pants would be coming off.”

Izou looked like he wanted to protest, but Marco technically wasn’t wrong.

“This is entirely on you,” Marco added, gesturing towards his entire naked self.

With a bit more force and carelessness than Marco was expecting, Izou threw the new whatever at him and Marco struggled to catch it before it fell to the floor. Even the little contact it made with his skin felt great and he was excited all over again. 

“I’m going to let you have that one this once,” he said while Marco tried to make sense of the silk in his hands. “Now put that on.”

The robe shaped not actually a robe thing was easy to slide on, and felt absolutely amazing when wrapped around him. It only served to remind him how long it’s been since they’d had a moment to relax and spend time together. And their time together usually ended with Marco trying something on because Izou thought he’d look good in it. 

Mostly he was absolutely right in his assessments. 

“This is great and I love it, but,” Marco started, spinning in place a bit too, “there is a bit of a breeze here.”

He motioned to the fact there were no buttons and his entire naked front was exposed. 

“Really, thank you for all of that,” Izou said as he picked up the blue sash Marco was used to wearing, that of course came from Izou’s endless chest of treasures some time ago.

“Lift your arms a bit,” he said and, as soon as Marco did as he was told, started pulling the robe thing together. 

He left enough of Marco’s chest exposed so his tattoo was visible, just like always, but made sure the fabric was snug against his hips before wrapping the sash around his waist securely and tying the ends into a bow in the front. Which was kind of a weird detail, but Marco didn’t complain.

With a few more tugs and adjustments, that Marco didn’t comment on, Izou was seemingly done while Marco considered how to broach the subject again and actually get an answer this time.

"That looks good," Izou said, taking a step back to look Marco over from head to toe with obvious approval. As if he’d ever do something that didn’t look good.

“You’re good to go,” he added with a smile and looked up to meet Marco’s eyes.

"I’m going somewhere dressed like this?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. "No underwear and all?"

“The underwear situation is entirely on you,” Izou said, repeating Marco’s words back at him. “Maybe this will be a lesson for you.”

“And where am I going then?” he asked, grudgingly admitting that maybe it was his fault he went about his day commando.

“It’s Ace’s birthday,” Izou said, again very redundantly. Of course it was Ace’s birthday, they were celebrating it later along with the New Year.

Marco said nothing at that, motioning with his hand for Izou to continue. He had absolute trust in Izou and his ideas, but information was valuable.

“It’s Ace’s birthday,” Izou started again, “and I’m very sure he wouldn’t mind unwrapping you like a present.”

And that was more information than he’d bargained for. 

“No underwear and all,” Izou added and yes, definitely way more information than Marco had bargained for.

“How sure?”

“Would bet your life on it,” Izou said seriously.

“But not your own?” Marco asked begrudgingly and crossed his arms, feeling oddly self conscious for a moment, before he got his hopes up.

“I wouldn’t bet my life on anything, yours is the most serious I’d get,” Izou told him teasingly and wasn’t that kind of sweet.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he added, all teasing gone from his expression. “Just trust me that you’d be welcome if you do.”

Just as he’d predicted, this was something worth being giddy over. Izou had seen right through his affection for Ace almost immediately, and there hadn’t been any point in hiding it after that, but Marco rarely said anything about it. He wasn’t pursuing this for a wealth of reasons, and asking whether Ace was even interested hadn’t crossed his mind. 

Izou telling him to do something though was more than just a nudge in a very specific direction, and he wouldn’t have done it if not for a very good reason.

“You’re going to be so smug about this, aren’t you?” he asked while weighing his options.

“I’m always smug,” Izou said, crossing his arms as well to mirror Marco’s position. “It comes with being right all the time.”

Marco rolled his eyes yet again, but couldn’t help the smile because of course Izou was right about everything, including this. 

“You’ll owe me an explanation about all this tomorrow,” he said with resignation, while gesturing to the very specific robe thing with embroidered snowflakes that he’d never seen Izou wear.

With that he made his way towards the door, leaving his clothes and very possibly his dignity (but probably not) in Izou’s room.

“You can keep that,” Izou told him as he followed out into the hall then locked his door. “I’m sure I won’t want it anymore. I already know too much.”

“So dramatic,” Marco said with a snort as they walked down the hall, Izou leading the way. He bumped his shoulder into Izou’s as he spoke, shoving him a little to the side.

“That comes with being right all the time too,” Izou told him with that bright grin Marco loved so much, bumping back and making Marco almost run into the wall. 

“It comes with being an asshole,” Marco said, this time doing nothing to hide the laugh, only laughing harder when Izou joined in.

“Alright,” Izou said a moment later, the laughter dying down, but still visible in his eyes. He took a moment to reach up and smooth the hair from Marco’s forehead back. “Wait in there and trust me.”

“Don’t I always?” 

“You do and I appreciate it,” Izou said before shoving him through the doorway and into the dark. “Be good, don’t come on too strong.”

“What the hell does that mean?” he shouted back, but the door was slammed right in his face and he was left alone in the dark. Fucking figures. 

With all the shoving and Izou being a smartass, Marco didn’t think to take notice where they were going. The logical assumption would have been Ace’s room, but he knew better than to assume anything with Izou once he’d been given the reins of a situation. So he found himself in an as of yet unidentified dark room wearing literally nothing but a very soft and comfortable robe. 

His nerves were starting to fray at the edges the longer he stood there in the dark with nothing but a bit of moonlight shining through the window. It couldn’t have been that long since Izou left him there, but Marco was beginning to feel like maybe he hadn’t made the best decision, no matter how reassuring Izou was. Doubting himself wasn’t a usual thing for him, but he couldn’t help it this once.

He sighed at letting his thoughts get away from him for a moment before looking around. The bed was visible just under the window and Marco figured if he was really doing this, he might as well make it worth something.

With barely a second thought, Marco walked over to the bed, careful not to trip on anything in the dark. He didn’t need to rip the silk and waste all of Izou’s effort just because he wasn’t being careful for the time being. Making sure there was nothing in the way, Marco climbed on the bed and sat with his back against the headboard. 

He wasn’t exactly making an effort to smooth out the silk around him as he stretched his legs on the covers and crossed his ankles, but he wasn’t  _ not _ doing it either as he sat there waiting for something to happen. 

It could have been minutes or hours in the dark by the time the door opened once again, falling shut almost immediately after and he’d barely seen someone come in. He could hear footsteps and some shuffling in the room before the light clicked on, effectively blinding him for a moment and making his eyes close almost of their own volition. Not knowing who was in the room with him would have been slightly stressful in a different situation, but he knew it could only have been Izou or Ace.

"Marco?" Ace asked with startled confusion evident in his voice.

Something in his chest clenched for a moment, and clearly it was still somewhat stressful when he couldn’t see the look on Ace’s face. For that moment, he didn’t want to see it either, but he knew he was better than hiding from the inevitable.

“Not that I’m hating the view,” Ace said, confusion still clear, but making way for something else as he spoke, “but mind telling me what’s up?”

Marco didn’t dare try and identify what Ace’s voice sounded like, not yet at least, but he did open his eyes. He blinked in the light, squinting just a bit towards the door.

“Shit, sorry,” Ace said and turned the main light off, casting the room in darkness again. A smaller lamp near the door clicked on a moment later, and the room looked much cozier then, less like they were balancing on the edge of a very high cliff.

Ace stood just next to the door, awkwardly frozen in place and looking like he had no idea what to do with his hands, but his eyes were moving swiftly, taking all of Marco in as he was, sprawled out on Ace’s bed.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all, but still not confident enough to actually feel it. "Izou let me in," he added as if that explained anything. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked quickly before Ace could ask anything else, and of course got the urge to hit himself immediately after because wasn’t that a stupid question.

"This is my room," Ace replied with amusement, the confusion fully given way to an open curiosity. He looked more at ease, his limbs looser and the awkwardness replaced with a confidence Marco was used to. 

Except it looked much more attractive while he stood half cast in the warm light of the lamp, his eyes shining with a fire Marco couldn’t resist.

"You know, Izou found me outside just now,” he started, his shoulders relaxing visibly, “and he said he left my birthday present in here," he trailed off with a smile Marco could only describe as coy and fucking attractive as hell. 

He said nothing, but his eyes stayed on Ace as he moved back to the door slowly. Their eyes locked for a moment, just a moment while Ace’s hand turned the key in the lock. It clicked very loudly in the silence around them, and it felt very much like a push off the cliff Marco felt they were on.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where I can find it?” he said, his voice so low and teasing, Marco couldn’t help the shudder that ran through him just at the sound of it.

With the way Ace was staring right at him, his eyes still raking over everything Marco had on display, there was no way he hadn’t noticed the shiver, and that smile of his grew wicked just enough to make the self conscious feeling go away. 

Of course Izou had been right, Marco couldn’t excuse even a moment of doubt when faced with that look on Ace’s face. That look that was making his hands itch to touch, to pull Ace closer and kiss every bit of skin and every freckle possible. 

Marco hadn’t realized how much he wanted until Ace looked at him like that, with the fire of the lamp reflected in his eyes and the smile on his lips just waiting to be kissed. It hurt to look at him like that, with almost nothing between them, and not taking a step to close that distance just to taste him.

The silence was heavy around them, like a fog that made everything seem magical and mesmerizing instead of being oppressive with everything they weren’t saying and doing. With everything they wanted to say and do, but instead of doing any of it, they stayed still and waited for something to break in the silence and push them together. 

Even while sitting on the bed, Marco felt like he was still free falling into oblivion, but instead of fear, his chest was filled to the brim with anticipation.

Ace was still looking at him, uncharacteristically silent and still, but completely at ease. Marco had only seen him focused like that in battle, with his eyes trained on a target and never wavering. He was a force to be reckoned with when he had that look in his eye, and Marco’s skin was breaking out in goosebumps just from being looked over with that kind of intensity. 

“What if I did know where to find this present of yours?” he asked when he finally found his voice; hoarse and choked off just from  _ wanting _ so much.

"Marco."

Ace didn’t sound any better, and Marco had never heard him speak like that, in a voice so low it did nothing to hide the yearning. Marco felt like a fool for not noticing any of it before. An even bigger fool for not saying something sooner, and yet he was barely saying anything at all.

But Ace seemed more ready to act, just barely so as he slowly took his hat off and let it drop down next to the lamp. He wasn’t even paying attention to his movements, eyes still on Marco, moving lower over his chest and down along his legs once again before coming back up.

“You look good in blue,” he said, and Marco wanted those words pressed into his skin, still hot from Ace’s breath.

Ace always ran so hot, Marco almost shivered again just from the thought of feeling that heat under his fingertips.

“I’ve been told it’s my color,” Marco said, loving the way Ace’s eyelashes fluttered with every word he spoke.

He already sounded absolutely wrecked to his own ears, he couldn’t imagine what Ace heard. 

“It is,” Ace told him. “Would be a shame to undo that bow and unwrap you.”

Marco laughed at that, reminded of the stupid bow Izou tied his sash into that suddenly made sense. 

“I’m sure we can get around it,” he said, “if we put our minds to it.”

Ace laughed at that too, cheerful and happy in his usual way that turned heads and made everyone smile just from the sound of it. Somehow that was the thing he could deal with the least at the moment.

“I’m sure you’re right,” Ace said at that, as he started toeing off his boots there next to the door. “Mind if I come closer to take a better look?”

He was caught flicking his gaze between Marco’s eyes and the bow tied around his waist, coy and amused and almost unbearably teasing. It made Marco laugh with a lightness he couldn’t comprehend until Ace joined in. 

This was familiar and this was what reminded him that it was Ace; his friend, someone he knew incredibly well, someone who stood by him in a fight, someone he trusted with his life. So Marco knew he could trust him with all of this as well, knew that they could trust each other just like they before Ace walked through that door.

“Well,” Marco started, shifting his legs a little, hooking one ankle over the other in a motion that made some of the silk slip down his thigh, “can’t say I’d be opposed to that.”

Ace’s eyes followed every movement, every slide of silk down Marco’s skin, until his thigh was fully exposed and the only thing holding the robe in place was the sash wrapped around his middle. His hip was uncovered, the crook of his thigh so obviously bare, which was more than he’d bargained for, but the way Ace’s eyes darkened was enough to know he’d made the right choice.

Marco was having a hard time staying in place, rooted on the bed and just waiting for Ace to come to him, but he had to let it happen. He wanted to watch that happen, because Ace looked hungry and ready to crawl over him and devour him whole, and Marco couldn’t find a single reason why he shouldn’t let that happen. 

As soon as both boots hit the floor, Ace started moving towards the bed, slow and slightly hesitant for the first time since he walked in. Marco could understand it though, didn’t fault him for it because this all felt too much like a dream. Except it wasn’t a dream, he knew that with absolute certainty because he could never be able to imagine the look on Ace’s face as he approached the bed. 

He smiled all the way from the door, that beautiful smile Marco had come to love and he had to grin in response. The room wasn’t that big and Ace’s knees were dipping the mattress all too soon. He moved gracelessly across the mattress on his knees, until he was moving past Marco’s ankles and shins.

His fingers moved to brush tentatively along the skin of Marco’s leg as he passed, the heat of the tips of his fingers calling forth a flicker of blue flames Marco couldn’t control. Ace startled at that, stopping in his tracks with his knees on either side of Marco’s thighs, but didn’t move away. His eyes dropped to Marco’s bare hip where his fingers played with the blue flames. 

A flicker of fire sparked from the tip of Ace’s fingers, just as tentative as his initial touch, and Marco was lost. His eyes dropped shut as he moaned at the heat that was just on the brink of being too much yet never going over that edge. No one ever made him feel that way, and Marco was sure there was no going back from it.

He opened his eyes to see the blue of his flames still surrounding Ace’s fingers where they touched his skin, mingling with the warm fire Ace was letting him feel. The flicker of fire cast a light around them that bathed Ace’s skin in a mesmerizing glow. It made Marco look back up to Ace’s face, noticing his eyes were already waiting for Marco to look into them. 

The look on his face mirrored the feeling in Marco’s chest, a pain so sweet he couldn’t help but hold on.

"Marco," Ace said his name again, whispered it in the fog of silence and Marco knew he’d hit the bottom of the oblivion he was falling into. Just one word and the uncertainty still lingering in him was gone, washed away in the glow of their fire.

"Yes?" Marco asked with a smile, tilting his head back to lean against the wall, baring his neck in an invitation to touch and feel because Ace looked hungry with the need to touch.

“Can I kiss you?” Ace asked, his fingers still flickering over the soft skin of Marco’s thigh, but his other hand rose between them, knuckles brushing along Marco’s chest for a moment long enough to leave a burning trail. 

His fingers slid along the side of Marco’s neck, a tickle of flames breaking out of Marco’s skin with the touch until Ace was holding the nape of his neck just enough to pull him closer.

“Please do,” Marco whispered just out of reach of Ace’s touch.

Ace’s lips were like a bonfire on a summer’s day, hot and flickering with a sense of joy, a fluttering presence against Marco’s lips, and so incredibly sweet with the laughter that bubbled behind them. Despite the fire pressed against him, Marco shivered from the anticipation of this dam between them breaking because this one taste wasn’t enough, this press of lips was a dream come true, but it was a contained flame.

The moment Ace’s lips parted though, the moment his tongue flickered against Marco’s lips looking for more, Marco was swallowed by a smoldering blaze. 

His hands slid along Ace’s sides, cool in the wake of an inferno, and Marco could do nothing but pull Ace closer until he was straddling Marco’s thighs and enveloping him with that heat everywhere they touched.

The touch was gone from Marco’s hip, Ace’s hand instead sliding up his jaw until he could tangle his fingers at the nape of Marco’s neck. Marco could feel the fire everywhere he was touched, the burning of Ace’s flames soothed by Marco’s own until they mingled and sent sparks down his skin. 

He almost expected to find the room set aflame around them with the heat that was trapped between their bodies, and yet it looked the same as before when Marco opened his eyes. It looked as if there was nothing of monumental importance going on, bringing back the feeling that it was all a dream.

But Ace broke the kiss with a gasp then, his eyes snapping open not a moment after and they instantly locked with Marco’s. His breath was hot and heavy between them, matching Marco’s completely. The heat should have been oppressive, but Marco reveled in it, embraced it with his fingers digging into Ace’s skin.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Ace whispered against his lips, out of breath and his eyes wild, flickering between Marco’s eyes and his lips. “No need to hold on so tight.”

Marco hummed, pressing his lips against Ace’s with a smile, before pulling away. It was barely a whisper of a touch and Ace whined, not fast enough to kiss back.

“I want to, though,” he said, pulling Ace even closer to his chest, letting his eyes drop shut with a sigh at the heat that pressed against his skin. 

He couldn’t tell if this was just his adoration of fire, or the fact it was Ace that burned against him, but Marco couldn’t get enough. 

“I feel like I’m going to burn alive,” Ace said, eyes dark and voice beautifully hoarse. Marco could live off the sound of his voice alone.

“Do you want me to let go?” Marco asked, loving every second of the contact, but willing to let go if asked to.

“No,” Ace said with a grin he pressed against Marco’s lips, pulling him closer still and Marco went willingly if it meant kissing Ace again. 

Marco was overwhelmed by the heat and craving more, their flames merging together just making him dizzy with the feeling of comfort and belonging. There was no more space left between them, nowhere to pull Ace close while their chests slid together, but Marco could run his hands along Ace’s back, always bare and beautiful and so tempting, and finally Marco’s to touch.

Ace shuddered against him, the kiss broken by the groan leaving his lips at the sensation. He threw his head back, baring his throat and Marco couldn’t help but latch on, his lips closing around the pulse point on Ace’s neck. Feeling the rapid beating of Ace’s heart against his lips was enough to make his breath catch, but it did nothing to deter him from sucking a mark into his skin.

Fingers tangled in his hair, gripping tight and pulling his head back with a moan building in his throat.

“Behave,” Ace said with that grin of his, amused and so happy it was bleeding into his voice. “No too obvious marks that gonna raise questions tomorrow.”

Marco laughed, his hands sliding down again so painfully slowly, loving every shiver and ripple beneath his fingertips.

“You’d look so good with them,” Marco said, no shame about the possessive streak Ace was drawing out in him. “So good.”

His lips returned to Ace’s neck, to trail kisses along the line of freckles leading up to his jaw, licking a hot stripe behind his ear just for the shudder and a choked off moan of his name.

“Marco,” Ace said, like a prayer with endless joy in his voice. “Behave just a little and I won’t burn the marks you do leave away in the morning.”

“I’ll pull your hair again if you’re good,” he added with another coy grin, laughing along with Marco once the words were out.

Marco's hands trailed lower and lower, the flames still present on his fingers as he cupped Ace’s ass and pulled him closer, until the friction between their cocks broke the spell they were under. He moaned as the silk slid against his skin, so smooth and making it obvious just how hard he was, craving to be touched with the same heat that warmed his chest.

Ace couldn't keep his hands to himself either, fingers reverently touching both the soft fabric of the robe as well as Marco’s exposed chest. The heat of him was gone just for a moment as he leaned back to be able to touch as much of Marco as possible. 

Marco’s grip on his ass just tightened, grinding himself against the hard line of Ace’s cock through the pants they needed to get off him as soon as possible.

“Am I being good?” he asked as he held onto Ace and shifted his weight to turn them over. 

The laugh he startled out of Ace as his back hit the bed was like music to his ears and he smiled down at him.

“Tell me I’m being good, love,” he whispered into Ace’s skin, lips seeking out contact as soon as he was done speaking because he’d gotten a taste and it wasn’t enough.

Ace laughed again beneath him, his hands finding their way into Marco’s hair again.

“You’re very good,” Ace said with a sharp tug on his hair. “So good,” he moaned through the laughter at the bite along his jaw and Marco had to groan at the sound, loving how happy Ace sounded against him. His cock was twitching with every laugh.

“Would be better if we got rid of my pants,” Ace said as an afterthought, untangling his fingers from Marco’s hair and letting them glide down his neck, giving him space to lean back.

Marco hummed against the spot on Ace’s neck he was kissing, feeling the way Ace’s skin broke out into goosebumps with the sound. He placed another kiss there just to hear the content sigh from Ace, before he finally leaning back and sitting up on his haunches between Ace’s thighs. 

He looked gorgeous like that, sprawled out and skin flushed, the coy smile still in place as he looked up at Marco. His eyes didn’t stray from Marco’s, not even when Marco’s fingers ran along his sides, up and down just to watch the flames dance between his freckles.

“You’re being bad again,” Ace gasped when Marco flicked over one of his nipples, grinning at the way he arched off the bed. “Oh, don’t tease, Marco,” he added, reaching out to pull Marco down again with a stunning grin on his face.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Marco replied against Ace’s lips, drinking up the laughter that bubbled out. 

Still, he stopped the teasing once he pulled back again, sliding his hands down to the buttons on Ace’s pants, making sure his fingertips never lost contact with skin. He took care to touch Ace’s cock through the fabric, just until he felt the twitch and the sigh Ace let out.

“May I?” he asked innocently, fingers tracing the line of Ace’s cock almost absentmindedly as he watched for every reaction.

Ace didn’t disappoint, arching on the bed and lifting his arms to grip at the pillow beneath his head. It left the long perfect line of his torso taut and completely on display, from the red necklace pooling in the dip of his throat right down to the trail of black hair dipping into the waistband of his pants.

His eyes closed as he buried his head back into the pillow the longer Marco stroked. 

“Oh yes please,” he said with an excited grin. “Easier to touch me if you take them off.”

Marco couldn’t disagree with that. “Do I get a reward if I’m fast enough?” he asked as he unfastened the belt and started on the buttons, glancing at Ace through his eyelashes only to watch his expression closely.

“Only if you’re good,” Ace said again, “so put your mouth on me and I’ll think about it.”

He arched a bit again, moaning as his cock got friction against Marco’s hand, all the while making sure Marco had a very nice view of all of him. 

“Come on,  _ love _ ,” Ace said, smiling wickedly when he heard the moan Marco couldn’t stop at being called that. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

“You’re devious,” Marco said, finally unbuttoning Ace’s pants and shuffling back to pull them off fully. 

He took a moment just to look, to take all of Ace in as he lay sprawled on the bed with his arms above his head and his thighs parting just to make space for Marco again. Of course he wasn’t wearing anything underneath the pants, a true blessing at the moment, and enough reason to pull an appreciative hum from Marco. 

Ace looked adequately smug about it, but said nothing this time.

The view was almost enough to make him stay there a while longer, just looking and taking it all in, but he already knew how Ace felt under his touch and there wasn’t enough restraint in him to stay away.

“But I did promise to be good for you,” Marco said, dropping the pants at his side before crawling back onto the bed and over Ace.

Ace hummed, just as Marco caressed the inside of his thigh with the tips of his fingers, then with his lips allowing his tongue to dart out just to hear the hitch in Ace’s breath. He didn’t tease for long, just followed the trail of Ace’s inner thigh with his mouth, while his hand caressed the other. 

Marco glanced through his lashes, grinning against the soft skin under his lips before he traced a path up Ace’s cock. Just a touch, a flutter of a kiss, but enough to make Ace shake beneath him, like he was trying his hardest to stay still. 

He was definitely teasing, just chasing the taste before diving in for more, but Ace didn’t seem to mind.

“Marco,” he said on a moan, his thighs quivering where Marco was holding them down. 

His hands found their way into Marco’s hair again, combing through gently before his nails scratched at his scalp a bit in a way that made Marco want to close his eyes and let it happen. But the gentle motion turned to a tug when Ace’s fingers tangled between the strands Izou combed back earlier.

“You are so good for me,” Ace said, voice wrecked and lips parted, his eyes never wavering from Marco’s. “The best birthday present,” he added with a soft laugh that only grew louder when Marco snorted against his skin. 

Ace tugged at his hair again, the pain sharp and sweet, inviting him to crawl further up Ace’s body. 

“I’m glad you think so,” Marco said as he nosed along the middle of Ace’s chest on his way up to his face. “Izou put a lot of thought into it.”

Marco looked up and saw Ace already looking at him and laughing in amusement. 

“I’m sure,” Ace said and cackled some more, lighting the room with an ease that reminded Marco yet again how much he had with Ace beyond the attraction and whatever this new thing was between them. 

Ace pulled on his hair again, prompting him to move further up until he spread his legs to straddle Ace’s thighs. 

“I should thank him,” Ace said as soon as their lips were brushing against each other, and Ace’s hands moved from his hair down to smooth against the silk on his back.

The silk felt divine against his skin when pressed there with the heat of Ace’s hand. Just one hand, while the other moved lower until it caressed his thigh again, just teasing at the spot where the seam of the robe met his skin. His fingers were dipping below the fabric, just enough to make him twitch with anticipation, before pulling away again. 

He was dying to feel Ace’s hands on his cock, desperate for that fire, but staying patient in anticipation for Ace to praise him again.

“You look gorgeous,” he said between nibbles of Marco’s lower lip, his eyes never leaving the sight of Marco’s mouth. “I do love that there’s nothing underneath.”

Marco just hummed, lowering himself until his weight pressed Ace into the bed fully, freeing up his hands to tangle in Ace’s hair, just to comb through it now that he had the chance.

“Hm, yes,” Ace said breathlessly, his cock twitching against Marco, “so good, love, you’re so good, love that you can hold me down.”

Hearing the praise from Ace’s mouth was making him hot, almost as much as the fire still building between them, and he’d never known how much he needed to hear it. Marco knew Ace could get out if the situation was different, and Ace didn’t want to be under him, but like this it was intoxicating, to know his weight holding Ace down was making Ace feel good.

“Tell me what to do,” he said, leaning down into the crook of Ace’s neck to nip at the skin there between breaths. “Tell me how to be good for you.” 

“Tell me how to make you  _ feel good _ .”

Ace groaned in response, trying to arch up against Marco, but not really succeeding with the weight holding him down. 

“Tell me and I’ll do it,” he whispered, pulling on Ace’s hair just to tilt his head enough to nuzzle against his ear.

“Oh really?” Ace asked, letting his hand fall from Marco’s back just to slide it up his other thigh. “Anything I want and you’ll do it?”

“Just because you’re so good, aren’t you?” he continued, breath hot and hands like an open flame against his skin, inching further under the robe. “You’d do anything I want just to hear me say how much I love it.”

Marco shuddered at the words, his cock leaking and probably staining the silk, but he didn’t care. His hips moved on his own, looking for friction and finding it with Ace’s thigh, nothing but the layer of silk between their skin. He was rutting against Ace like he’d die if he stopped, and with how hard he was just from hearing Ace speak, he couldn’t help but feel that it was true.

“You love hearing how good you make me feel, don’t you?” Ace continued, the question obviously rhetorical so Marco did nothing to interrupt, just continued chasing the friction while Ace caressed along his thighs, getting closer and closer to his hips.

“You love hearing how good I think you are, how much you turn me on,” he continued talking and his hips started moving, his cock grinding against Marco. 

His hands finally slid up, burning their way under the swell of Marco’s ass, and pulling just to make their cocks align and slide against each other. Ace’s moan sounded right in his ear, loud and without shame, one of the best things he’d heard yet.

“So good,” he moaned, “so good, so good, Marco.” 

Marco’s grip on Ace’s hair tightened, just a fraction, just to keep his hands in place while his hips moved, the motion rucking the fabric up until they could feel nothing but each other’s skin and the heat. But he was dying for more.

“Tell me,” he said, voice almost too low, but he knew Ace heard him. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want to be inside you,” Ace said, his grip tightening and Marco welcomed the feeling of his strength, used just to chase the contact between them. “I need to feel you.”

Marco moved, lifting himself just enough to be able to kiss Ace, but it had to be too much of a distance as Ace whined at the loss before Marco swallowed the sound with his lips. He was on fire, from the kiss that only now turned frantic to the way Ace was guiding his movements to chase his own pleasure. 

It felt amazing leaving everything in Ace’s hands, allowing him to savor each moment, each touch, each breath with undivided attention.

“Anything, love,” Marco said, and he meant it without a single doubt. 

There were very few things Ace could have asked of him that would have made him say no, but getting the chance to feel Ace inside him was the furthest from that. 

“I’m going to make you feel so good,” he added before diving in to kiss Ace again, biting his lip to get another moan.

Ace laughed against his lips again, the sound bubbling out softly, his chest shaking with the sound beneath Marco.

“I know you will, I know,” he breathed, lips brushing against Marco’s, “ _ so good _ .”

His eyes were alight and his smile was overwhelmingly bright that Marco couldn’t look away. 

“Fuck, I love it when you smile,” Marco said, more open than he was used to being, but Ace didn’t look shocked at all, just smiled a bit softer like he could see right through Marco the entire time.

“I love it when you get so  _ sweet _ on me” he said, teasing and soft, his hands gentle as they slid back down Marco’s thighs. His eyes said so much and something in Marco’s chest clenched from the depth of it.

The heat was still there, still present around them, but for the moment, he felt something settle between them. Marco leaned down to kiss Ace again, soft and slow, the fire building with a new kind of intensity. 

“Well if you’re into that sort of thing,” Marco started, lips brushing against Ace’s, “I could be persuaded to keep it up.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Ace told him, like sharing a secret just the two of them knew.

With a smile, Marco started moving his hips again. “Already planning a next time?” he asked, trying to tease, but couldn’t really because he’d have started imagining a next time too if there was still more than a single coherent train of thought left in his brain. “Awful sure of yourself, aren’t you.”

Ace snorted at that, breaking out of that sweet little smile of his.

“I know you,” he said with an air of unfairly attractive confidence. “Unless you walk out of here tomorrow morning pretending nothing happened, which we both know you won’t, you’re going to want to do this again.”

“And again,” he added before Marco could even imply he was wrong, punctuating his words with a sharp slide of his cock against Marco’s. “And then some more, and I’m going to be right there with you.”

He definitely wasn’t wrong at all.

“Now,” Ace said, breathless, but firm, drawing Marco’s attention fully. His hands were sliding back up Marco’s thighs with purpose, fingers spread wide to touch as much as possible, to get a firm grip on Marco’s ass. He was slowly setting the pace of Marco’s movements again, teasingly slow, but still so incredibly too much and not enough.

“I need you to grab the lube for me,” he said and his lip quivered as he moaned at the pressure of Marco moving against him. “Need to give you something to come back for,” he added with a silly little wink and a laugh when Marco couldn’t contain the snort.

“Fuck, stop that,” Marco said through a cackle, but he didn’t sound like he meant it at all. “Where’s the lube?”

He didn’t care how eager he sounded about having Ace inside him at this point, too far gone and too interested to feel any shame about showing how enthusiastically on board he was.

Ace was still laughing a little, but he managed to nod towards the side. “Top drawer, can’t miss it.”

It meant Marco would have to move from Ace’s chest and the cocoon of warmth they’ve managed to create around each other, but it was well worth it. He didn’t move immediately, though, opting to kiss Ace again just because he could, and because Ace wanted him to.

Kissing Ace was still the best thing ever and he couldn’t get enough.

But Ace laughed against his lips again, bumping his nose against Marco’s. “Not that I’m not enjoying this,” he said, punctuating the words with a sharp tag on Marco’s ass for more friction and a moan that followed immediately after, “but I really  _ need _ you to get the lube now.”

Marco hummed with a smile, finally leaning over to his side to reach into the nightstand. Not before pressing a quick peck to Ace’s lips again, unable to really stop.

“Why so impatient all of a sudden?” he asked with a brief glance towards Ace as he reached into the drawer.

“Oh what the fuck, Ace,” he said immediately after, going right back to laughing again without giving Ace a chance to say anything.

“What?” Ace asked, and Marco noticed the confused frown on his face, instantly regretting his choice of words.

But Ace’s gaze shifted down towards Marco’s hands and the frown was gone just like that.

“Oh,” he said very carefully, his hands already back under the robe and on Marco’s ass, pulling him back.

“ _ Oh _ ?” Marco repeated with a raised eyebrow.

He settled in to straddle Ace’s hips again, but didn’t lean down, just waved the plastic green and yellow pineapple shaped bottle of lube between them.

“I think this deserves more of a comment than just  _ oh _ ,” he said, still cracking up at the sight.

“Thatch gave me that a couple of days ago,” Ace said, shrugging as much as possible from where he was lying on the bed.

“Which is suspicious,” Marco supplied.

“Well in hindsight, yes,” Ace said, all faux serious and reasonable sounding. “Hindsight’s all well and good, but you know how hard it is to get good lube on the open sea.”

“So you let Thatch give you a half full bottle of,” he stopped to look down at the label through the tears that gathered from the laughing, “Tropic Fineapple lube?”

Just saying it was making him laugh again, and Ace wasn’t far behind.

“Of course not,” he said, like he was about to say something rational. “It was a brand new bottle.”

Marco only raised his eyebrow at that, again, because that didn’t add up.

“I know, I know, suspicious and whatnot.”

“You used half a bottle of lube in a few days?” Marco asked, ignoring that yes, this was very suspicious coming from Thatch, but he supposed Izou would have talked to him. 

Ace did his awkward little shrug again, but he was smiling that coy smile of his that made Marco hot. “I’ve been pent up.”

Then, just to make a point Marco supposed, he moved his hand enough to trace between Marco’s cheeks and run a finger over his hole. The touch was featherlight, but Marco still shivered from it, all thoughts of questionably themed lube forgotten.

“Was hoping you’d help me with that,” Ace added, once Marco’s attention was back on him. He couldn’t get enough of his smile and the teasing and the anticipation.

“Gladly,” Marco said breathlessly, leaning back against Ace’s fingers to make the touch last longer.

“Fuck, very gladly,” he added when Ace moved his fingers, the heat of his fire sending a shiver down Marco’s spine. 

Ace was looking up at him with wide awed eyes and parted lips, his cock twitching noticeably against Marco’s. He couldn’t believe he had yet to put his hands on Ace’s cock in the time they’d been together, with Ace so gloriously bare. 

Dropping the lube to his side, Marco let his hands fall to Ace’s chest, just to drag his fingertips over his nipples.

“Fuck, Marco,” Ace moaned, his grip on Marco’s ass tightening, the pressure against his hole increasing until he was almost on the verge of begging. 

Despite the urge to lean down for another kiss, Marco dragged his fingers down Ace’s chest, his hands trembling with need to touch everything he could, to get his mouth on Ace and never let go. His hands continued down, and he did his best to stay patient, to tease, but he just  _ needed  _ so much.

The noise that left Ace’s mouth as soon as Marco’s hand circled around his cock was nearly enough to send him over the edge. All of a sudden, the fact that he wasn’t kissing Ace felt like the greatest injustice of his life. Leaning down awkwardly with his hands trapped between them just so he wouldn’t have to remove them from Ace’s cock, Marco went seeking out a kiss. Their lips met somewhere in the middle, Ace just as eager to touch and taste and get his hands all over Marco if possible.

But his focus was unwavering, his fingers trailing the same path without a tremble in his touch, making Marco ache to feel him inside.

Instead he parted his lips and embraced the heat of Ace’s tongue against his own, drowning in the muffled sounds Ace wasn’t able to get out. Some of them could have been his own, trapped against Ace’s lips and his tongue, disappearing into the hotness of his breath.

Ace was the one to break the kiss this time, out of breath and looking just the way Marco was feeling; overwhelmed and craving more.

“I’m regretting not unwrapping you,” Ace said against his lips. “This feels nice, but I really need you to be naked right now.”

Marco laughed, maybe somewhat hysterical sounding, but he couldn’t really disagree with the sentiment so he sat back up, feeling how Ace’s fingers kept digging into his skin. 

“Be my guest,” Marco said, spreading his arms to give Ace access to the bow that was looking a bit sad and crushed by their weight. “Might be easier if you want to see what I’m doing,” he added with a little wiggle of his fingers, and Ace’s gaze was drawn to the movement immediately.

He let out a shuddering breath and said nothing, but his hand spoke plainly enough with the way he pulled at Marco to grind against him with more force. 

Marco’s cock was already out from where the silk had ridden up from Ace’s arms circling his hips, precum glistening against Ace’s skin. He could recognize a couple of wet spots on the silk, impossible to tell if they came from him or from Ace, but couldn’t bring himself to care at the moment either way. 

Ace didn’t look like he cared about much save for the sight Marco made above him, mesmerized for a long drawn out moment. His hands were still directing Marco to rock against him, but it didn’t look like he was even thinking about it, as lost as he was with the sight. 

Finally, his hands left their perch on Marco’s ass, not without his fingers trailing over Marco’s hole yet again just to tease and make Marco  _ want _ . He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that sensitive, that a touch that light could make him want to double over and beg against Ace’s lips, but he didn’t because Ace was reaching out for the bow. 

“You do look really good in blue,” Ace said, looking into Marco’s eyes while his fingers loosened the bow. 

The silk was still so smooth and unable to stay in place as soon as the sash was undone, the fabric sliding out of place and down his skin until his torso was completely bare. The sash pooled around his lap, covering Ace’s cock, but Ace barely reacted to that, eyes raking over Marco’s chest instead.

He looked like he was choking on his own tongue for a moment.

“Are those new?” he asked and Marco glanced down, momentarily confused until he caught the light reflecting off the barbells that pierced his nipples.

“Trying something out this week,” Marco said with a smile that was possibly turning into a grin as he noticed how entranced Ace looked. “The lip one from last week wasn’t for me.”

Ace sat up, his eyes still burning a hole in Marco’s chest, all the way until his lips closed around a nipple and sucked. They were fully healed, Marco made sure of that, but he hadn’t had a chance to test out sensitive they were. It was hard to say if this was just the piercing or because it was Ace, but the feeling of teeth grazing against his nipple was enough to get a sound out of him, enough for him to reach out for Ace’s hair and hold him there for a moment longer.

Ace let go with a final flick against his nipple, sending a jolt through him that made him weak in the knees. 

“I like these on you,” Ace said, looking up at him through his lashes with a smug little grin. “Can’t believe you didn’t mention them.”

“Didn’t come up,” Marco shrugged, sounding more calm than he was feeling with all this pent up need and anticipation.

“Hope you keep them,” Ace added with another glance. “At least for a bit.”

His hands came around Marco again, holding on tight as he hoisted himself back on the bed, taking Marco with him. The casual display of Ace’s strength was a sight to behold, something Marco always appreciated, but never quite this much.

Ace noticed how his breath caught and his cock twitched, he had to have noticed just as he was leaning back against the headboard. He pulled Marco close again, rocking them together while he kissed along Marco’s neck. This new position allowed Marco to put his arms around Ace’s neck, to hold him close and grind against his cock. 

They were so close again and finally nothing between their skin.

“You know,” Ace whispered against the skin of his neck, breath hot and fanning along the spot he’d been kissing, “I could pick you up, if you wanted.”

Marco shuddered at the bite that followed the words.

“Fuck you against the wall,” he said, licking up towards Marco’s ear between breaths. “Or the door.”

Marco moaned into Ace’s hair, his hips once again moving like he’d die if there was no more friction between them.

“Maybe you’d like it if anyone could hear you out there, if they listened for it,” he continued, only the tightness of his grip revealing just how affected he was. 

“Ace, love,” Marco said against Ace’s hair, “you can fuck me against any wall or door on this ship, I don’t give a fuck who heard us.”

“Fuck,” Ace exhaled sharply against his neck, his hips stuttering in their movement. “Fuck, you can’t just  _ say _ shit like that.”

His words were harsh, but the way he said them was breathless and eager to do any of it. Marco laughed and he could feel puffs of Ace’s breath against his neck as he laughed as well.

“Can’t let you have all the fun, can I,” he said through the laughter, pressing his lips against Ace’s hair. 

“Oh, both of us could be having more fun, I think,” Ace said. Marco couldn’t see his face, but he could imagine the grin in his voice.

Ace’s hands were sliding back around Marco’s sides, caressing his hips and moving to his front with a sense of urgency, pushing Marco into leaning back. The sash was pulled off his lap, but Ace played with it a bit, eyes drawn down to his hands for a while. 

Marco could take a guess where that was going, but decided to stay silent, waiting for Ace to speak.

“How do you feel about restraints?” he asked, briefly glancing up through his lashes. 

“Hm,” Marco hummed, hand reaching for the sash in Ace’s hands. “I wouldn’t trust a lot of people with that,” he said thoughtfully as he reached over and let the sash drop to the floor next to the bed.

His hands found their way to Ace’s face, tilting his head up so their lips could meet. Ace’s fingers were already back to trailing a fiery path up Marco’s chest.

“You have to know I trust you with my life,” he said when they parted, “and I would love to have you tie me up sometime.”

He went without protest when Ace’s hands brushed against his nipples, pushing lightly for him to move back a bit again, but he leaned only far enough that Ace could trace up his chest, over his nipples one more time and across his shoulders. 

“But?” Ace asked, running his thumb over Marco’s collarbone.

The silk was slipping down his shoulders where Ace was pushing it away, and Marco had to let go of Ace’s face just to let the robe slide off completely.

“But not this time,” he said while the silk pooled behind him. He didn’t waste time, just pulled it away and let it drop to the side with the sash. “I want to be able to touch you.”

“Who’s planning for next time now?” Ace asked with a laugh, but wasted no time to tease, he just reached for the lube Marco dropped earlier. 

He’d already uncapped it and was tipping it to pour some on his hand by the time Marco took it from him. The confusion was clear, but Ace only raised an eyebrow in question. 

“I promised to be good for you, didn’t I?” Marco asked, taking a moment to press his lips against Ace’s, before he poured the lube on his fingers.

Ace groaned just from looking at him spread the lube with his fingers, leaning back against the headboard until the back of his head hit the wall with a loud thud. Marco waited for him to open his eyes again before reaching behind, fighting the urge to stroke his cock instead just because seeing Ace losing it like this was turning him on more than he thought possible.

“Fuck, you’re going to kill me,” Ace groaned, but Marco could see him reach for his own cock, holding the base just to stop himself from coming right then. 

The sight was almost enough for Marco to have to do the same. Almost, but not quite.

He reached out with his other hand, planting it on the wall next to Ace’s head just for balance as he rose on his knees. It put his (borderline painfully) hard cock near Ace’s face and Ace looked up at him for a moment, a vicious little grin on his face, before his tongue poked out and licked along the head of Marco’s cock.

“Fuck, I could say the same,” Marco said, hunching over Ace for a moment while he struggled to keep his balance.

Ace continued licking at him, teasingly and lightly, not committing to blowing him just yet, and Marco was grateful because the image of coming all over Ace’s face was incredibly appealing, despite him wanting to make this last. 

“Have to do something,” Ace said as he pulled away only enough to nuzzle against Marco’s cock, “while you’re busy.”

With that, Marco traced a lube covered finger around his hole, shuddering as he teased himself the same way Ace had earlier. He really wanted to have Ace do this some time too, but for the moment Marco wanted to be ready as quickly as possible because he may actually die. 

He circled once again before finally pushing his index finger in. Less careful than he would have been with anyone else, Marco exhaled as he slid his finger deeper, eyes closing at the burn that lasted barely a heartbeat before he could feel his flames ease the discomfort. 

The feeling of Ace’s flames tickling at his cock in the wake of his tongue drew a moan from him, the feeling spreading up his thighs where Ace was running his hands. 

“Let me hear you,” Ace said against his cock. “Tell me you feel good.”

Marco moaned again as Ace’s fingertips pressed into the muscles of his thighs, sliding back and under the swell of his ass again. He kept up the slow pace, his finger sliding in and out as he adjusted, feeling the heat build up from his own movements and the way Ace was touching him.

But Ace pulled away, his grip tight on the backs of Marco’s thighs, but he did nothing else to touch Marco again.

“Didn’t hear you, love,” Ace said, looking up at him again with that wicked grin. “Tell me, and maybe I’ll reward you.”

Marco moaned again, pressing the finger deeper and letting his head fall forward as he brushed against his prostate.

“Feels so good,” he said, the words sticking to his throat and refusing to get out. “Be better with two fingers,” he added, tilting his head towards the lube. 

The discomfort was all but gone, but he still needed more lube and wasn’t exactly in the position to grab it himself. Ace just smiled again, seemingly in less of a hurry than Marco was.

“I know, love,” Ace said and Marco knew he was up to something the moment he said it like that. “You’re so good for telling me, though.”

Ace’s grip tightened for a moment before he pulled Marco down, spreading his thighs wider until they were breathing the same air, Marco’s thighs straddling Ace’s lap again. 

“So good,” Ace said before their lips met in a flurry of heat, his hands still burning into Marco’s thighs, keeping them apart. “So gorgeous like this.” He was smiling as he spoke and Marco was so weak. 

He laughed, but it sounded breathless, pressed against Ace’s lips. He couldn’t tell how long he’d last like this, so close to Ace, so overwhelmed with anticipation. 

“Open the lube for me, love,” Marco said, voice rough while he leaned back to give Ace space.

“In a hurry?” Ace asked, sounding calm and collected, but Marco knew him better than that.

Marco reached out with his free hand to cup Ace’s face, his thumb hooked under Ace’s chin to keep his gaze up.

“Love, I need you inside me,” Marco said, the index finger of his other hand still moving inside him, “just as much as I know you need to be inside me.”

Ace just kissed him again, the press of his lips broken by a burst of laughter he couldn’t stop.

“So open the lube,” Marco continued with a grin. “Please,” he added after a beat, since he did promise to behave.

Finally, Ace listened and leaned over to grab the bottle, and Marco stopped moving his hand with a fair amount of reluctance, pulling out with a sigh immediately after. He reached out for more lube, but Ace still had that smile on his face, the calculating one he got when he was planning something.

Marco watched as Ace poured lube on his own fingers, at last looking impatient, but still so confident. 

“Planning something?” Marco asked, watching as Ace spread the lube on his fingers, probably warming it in the best way.

“Could say that,” he replied with another grin.

Ace grabbed Marco’s hand, spreading some of the lube on it and intertwining their fingers. Without looking away from Marco’s eyes, Ace guided their hands back behind Marco’s back and trailed down between his cheeks.

“Okay?” he asked, waiting until Marco nodded to trail his finger around Marco’s hole, spreading the lube, but most of all, teasing Marco. 

Still, he didn’t tease too much this time, cleary impatient and just as filled with anticipation as Marco was. He guided them into sliding one finger each into Marco slowly, the heat of Ace’s finger completely soothing the burn that came with the stretch.

Marco could feel himself shudder against Ace, his hand still cupping Ace’s jaw and he leaned forward to bite Ace’s lip, to kiss him again just to stop himself from begging for more. He rocked against their hands, almost lost in the motion as his flames reacted to Ace’s presence. With a sigh, Marco parted his lips and pulled Ace closer, only satisfied when there was nothing but fire around him.

They moved together, Ace setting a teasing slow pace while Marco adjusted to the feeling of two fingers inside him. He was used to his own, and to using his powers to ease the discomfort that usually came with opening himself up, but it felt wrong to do that with Ace. To erase any part of the experience didn’t sit well with him, so he just...didn’t.

Marco relaxed around their fingers, giving Ace full control of everything while he focused on the point of pressure their fingers created. Ace was much warmer, incredibly so, literally warming Marco from the inside. 

His breath hitched at the way Ace guided their hands, the slow drag of fingers making him shake with the need to ask for more. He couldn’t breathe from the moan stuck in his throat, threatening to slip out with every infuriatingly slow drag of fingers against the rim of his hole. 

The look on Ace’s face, slightly smug but mostly awed, revealed that he knew exactly what he was doing and Marco didn’t want it any other way.

Ace nuzzled against his nose for a moment, a sweet distraction as he pushed their fingers in deeper than before, brushing against Marco’s prostate with a featherlight touch. It wasn’t nearly enough pressure, just a buildup of anticipation that had him shaking for more as he pushed back against the fingers spreading him open.

The exhale that left him was shaky, just like the rest of him, and Ace pressed his lips against it. They were breathing the same air and it was making him lightheaded, but that didn’t stop him from kissing Ace like his life depended on it. The kiss was barely that with the way his lips refused to cooperate, his mouth hanging open while he tried to catch his breath.

Ace pushed in with purpose, prodding at his prostate with more pressure this time.

“Fuck, Ace,” Marco exhaled, the breath all but punched out of his chest. 

His head dropped until his forehead bumped into Ace’s shoulder. He let himself rest there, lightheaded and surrounded by Ace’s scent and his heat, struggling to keep it together. 

“Doing okay, love?” Ace asked, breath hot against Marco’s ear.

Marco hummed as he dropped a kiss against Ace’s collarbone.

“More than okay,” he said, voice incredibly shaky and he loved that Ace was doing this to him, just taking him apart with such ease and a promise to put him back together. 

“That feels so good, fuck,” he added when Ace (very deliberately) slid their fingers back in to press against Marco’s prostate.

“Ready for another one?” Ace asked, his lips fluttering against the side of Marco’s head as he spoke.

“Mm,” Marco hummed, a shiver running down his spine in anticipation. “Yes, another.”

Ace was nuzzling against the fine hairs on the side of his head, breathing harsh just like Marco’s.

“Yours or mine?” Ace asked, the movement never stopping, but he slowed down to a tease again.

Marco thought about it for a moment, as much as possible with his thoughts consisting of nothing but a mantra of  _ more more more _ .

“Yours,” he said, as if it was even a choice he had to make. 

Ace shuddered against him, barely noticeable to Marco in that moment when he struggled to focus on anything but the way Ace was still opening him up with an ease that revealed nothing of the hurry they were in.

“Just yours,” Marco added with a groan, just the thought of three of Ace’s fingers inside him making him impatient.

Ace moaned into his hair, his cock twitching against Marco’s. 

“Fuck, your voice,” Ace said, voice wavering to reveal how affected he was, but his hand was still steady, keeping the slow pace without a hitch.

“I feel like I could come just from the sound of your voice and we definitely need to try that,” Ace said in a rush, brushing against Marco’s prostate again.

“You need to stop talking, Ace,” Marco said, knowing he definitely  _ could  _ come untouched if Ace kept saying things like this, “and get your fingers to work.”

“Sounding a bit impatient there,” Ace teased, but he didn’t sound any better than Marco.

Marco lifted his head from Ace’s shoulder, ready to point out that Ace was exactly the same, but the words turned into a moan as Ace guided their fingers back onto his prostate.

“Before you say something sarcastic, remember you promised to behave,” Ace said with that grin of his that made Marco’s stomach flip. 

Marco grinned too, lifting his free hand to tangle his fingers into the short hairs at the nape of Ace’s neck.

“I promised I’ll be good for you, love,” he said, lips brushing against Ace’s just enough to give him a taste, “so so good, and I’ll be even better when you’re inside me so I  _ need _ you to hurry.”

Ace groaned again before catching Marco’s lips into a searing kiss, chasing the promise behind his words while he guided their fingers out until Marco felt almost achingly empty. 

He wasn’t left waiting for long, Ace rushing to get the lube and to spread it across his fingers. Marco was being annoyingly not helpful and he knew it, mouth latching onto Ace’s neck and kissing along a splatter of freckles for this moment when he could focus beyond the fingers inside him. 

Ace didn’t allow it for long, the heat of his fingers back at Marco’s hole in no time at all, teasing only briefly, just like an afterthought, before Marco was being stretched wider. Marco shuddered against the pressure and the heat radiating off of every part of Ace, seeping inside him and soothing him in a way he wasn’t used to. 

The teasing was gone, the anticipation boiling over into impatience, but Ace still didn’t rush the movement of his fingers, careful in the way he was opening Marco up. More careful than Marco would have been with himself, less hurried and impatient, and he felt so good.

He stayed as close to Ace as possible, their noses touching and each breath shared in what little space they were willing to put between them.

“You feel so good,” Ace said gently, his other hand sneaking between them to stroke Marco’s cock while he speed up the movement of his fingers.

“So good, I could do this all day,” he continued, eyes glued to Marco’s, never looking away, focused fully on whatever it was he saw on Marco’s face. 

“Wish I could see what my fingers look like inside you.” 

Marco bit his lip, stifling the moan building in his chest just so it wouldn’t tumble out and drown out what Ace was saying.

“Fuck, want to use my mouth to open you up,” Ace said after a moment, and Marco couldn’t stop himself, couldn’t stop the noise that that left his mouth because he wanted Ace to do that too.

He shuddered against Ace, pressing back onto his fingers and chasing release before he caught himself.

“I’m ready, I’m ready,” he said in a rush, lifting himself off Ace’s fingers, but Ace followed for a moment longer. “Fuck, I’ll be good for you all the time if it’ll get your tongue inside me at some point.”

Ace was pulling out at that, scrambling for the lube while Marco lifted himself to his knees and waited, breathing heavy and so aware of how hard his cock was, how close he was to coming from everything Ace was doing and saying. He never knew Ace having a dirty mouth would make him so _ easy _ .

“Ready?” Ace asked, bringing Marco’s attention to the sight below him and the way Ace shuddered with every stroke of lube against his cock. 

Marco nodded and took Ace in hand, stroking him for a moment just to watch his eyelashes flutter, before he lined himself up above Ace. 

“Are you?” he asked, acutely aware of the sweat beading at his hairline and the way he couldn’t speak without gasping for breath, but none of that mattered.

“Fuck, yes,” Ace said and gripped his hips, hard enough to leave marks, and that spurred Marco on, made him move and lower himself until the head of Ace’s cock was inside him, bringing more heat than his fingers, making him strain with the effort not to come just from that.

Ace’s strength was just one of the things he hadn’t known he needed until his fingers were pressing bruises into his skin, then chasing them away with his flames.

He was too far gone to last long, sure Ace was feeling the same if the intense heat in his gaze was anything to go by. With more restraint than he’d give himself credit for any other time, Marco lowered himself slowly, allowing them both time to adjust to the sensation. 

Sinking down fully happened too fast and still not fast enough, but they both panted from trying so hard to make this last.

Every part of him wanted to move, to lift himself up and  _ feel _ Ace, but he was too close to the edge already, knowing that Ace was much the same in that regard. His hands spoke clearly enough, burning their mark into his skin. 

“Need to move,” Marco said, thighs already trembling from the strain of keeping still.

“Yes, yes,  _ yes _ ,” Ace chanted, eyes falling shut in anticipation.

Finally,  _ finally _ , Marco moved, just as slowly as Ace had moved his fingers at first, feeling the teasing slide of Ace’s cock inside him, so fucking slow, but it let him feel every shudder that ran through Ace’s body. Every twitch that followed Marco’s movement, until only the head of Ace’s cock was stretching him.

He stilled for a heartbeat, just long enough for Ace to open his eyes and look up at him.

With his hands gripping at Ace’s shoulders, Marco sank down in a smooth motion until Ace was fully seated inside him again. Without wasting a breath, he rose again and repeated the motion with less patience, sinking down hard until Ace moaned beneath him.

Seeking out more contact, Marco pressed his lips against Ace’s, hips still moving and taking Ace in.

“Need you to move too,” he breathed against Ace’s mouth, their breaths mingling with every movement.

Ace didn’t need to be told twice, his grip tightening as soon as the words were out, and he pushed up to meet Marco’s rhythm.

“Fuck, I won’t last long,” Ace groaned, eyes falling shut again, “you need to know that.”

Marco nodded, too lost for words, but sharing the sentiment because his cock was trapped between them, getting minimal friction from both their skin, not nearly enough to push him over the edge and yet Marco knew it would happen sooner rather than later.

“Me too,” he managed to get out, between one broken breath and the next, “so close.”

Ace looked at him them, the sharp focus of his gaze looking Marco over for the briefest of moments, until he must have found what he was looking for.

“Trust me?” he asked, hands letting go of Marco’s hips and sliding along his back just to lock around him.

The thrust of Ace’s hips never faltered, the rhythm steady and his cock filling Marco up over and over again until he was having trouble forming a thought.

“Always,” was easy to say when Ace was the one asking for trust.

The room shifted around him as he came fully down on Ace’s cock, when Ace stilled him with his arms and lifted him off the bed just to roll them over. Marco’s back hit the bed with a soft thud, the breath knocked out of him with a deep moan, loving the way Ace could lift him with ease.

“Fuck, I could come from that alone,” he said, unsure just how much sense his words made to Ace, but he couldn’t say he cared.

“Move, you need to move, I’m so close,” he continued, arms going around Ace’s shoulders and pulling him close, until they were breathing the same air again just as Ace started moving.

Ace did as he was told, moving with a purpose and a sharp snap of his hips, until Marco could feel him deep inside, the head of his cock sliding along his prostate with every thrust. 

“Fuck, fuck, you feel so  _ good _ ,” Ace whispered, breath fanning against Marco’s nose. “So good, so fucking good,” Ace praised and Marco lost himself in the words and the fire they ignited in him.

His hips started moving, meeting Ace’s thrusts, looking for friction on his cock, but finding none and he couldn’t take it anymore, he needed to come.

“Harder, fuck,” he said, the swearing coming with ease because it was the only thing that made sense.

Ace moved faster, his breathing harsh, but he didn’t let up, his cock moving against Marco’s prostate and getting him closer and closer, until he couldn’t kiss Ace anymore because he needed to let the sound out, let him know how good it felt.

“Marco,” Ace groaned out his name, lost in the sensation just like Marco was. “Fuck, Marco, you’re gonna make me come,” he said, as if he wasn’t the one making Marco lose his mind.

“You were so good for me, love,” Ace said, movement slowing down, but he was driving his cock inside Marco with a singular focus, hard and unyielding and everything Marco wanted. “Can you come for me, love, can you come just like this,” he didn’t pose it as a question and Marco didn’t have the mind to answer with words, just a drawn out moan while the heat pooled in his groin, so different from the heat of Ace inside him.

“Come on,  _ love _ ,” Ace said, sounding all kinds of fucked out, and Marco couldn’t stop it, couldn’t stop the shout of Ace’s name as he came between them, all over his chest, twitching more with every drop that reached far enough to hit Ace’s chin.

With probably his last two brain cells, he pulled Ace closer, licking up his chin and drinking up the moan Ace let out as Marco tightened around him. His hips stuttered, and Marco could feel him inside, every fiery part of him singing at the feeling that came with being close to Ace like this. Everything about him felt like fire in the best possible way, and the warmth of him inside Marco was almost too much to bear. 

Still not enough either, not when Ace’s arms finally gave out and he let his weight rest on Marco, the mess between them barely an afterthought.

“Fuck,” Marco said, once he finally caught his breath at least a little.

Ace didn’t move from where he was draped over him, cock still inside for the time being as they both tried to breathe again. It was somehow difficult to remember how breathing worked at the moment.

“Fuck,” Ace repeated just behind Marco’s ear with a little puff of breath, too warm and fucking perfect in the afterglow. The joy in his voice was unmistakable, kissed into Marco’s skin with a lingering flame. 

Marco’s arms tightened around Ace at the sound of his voice, hoarse and happy and perfect in every way. He hadn’t expected to feel this giddy with Ace still in his arms, but there was no reason not to if he spared it a thought. Very little mattered when they built their own little cocoon of warmth and touch and fire, making the phoenix in Marco preen at the continued contact.

The phoenix part of him didn’t want to let Ace go because letting Ace go meant letting go of the warmth and fire, something he wasn’t quite ready for, not until the afterglow subsided and he could think properly again.

“Fuck, why haven’t we done that before?” Ace asked, his breath tickling Marco’s skin, making him laugh.

“Can’t think of a good reason,” Marco replied, slowly becoming acutely aware of Ace’s cock softening inside him. Definitely not his favorite part of all this, but he still didn’t want to move.

“That’s because we’re stupid,” Ace said with a scoff that Marco felt more than heard. “We’re really stupid.”

Marco only laughed again, not really finding a good argument to counter Ace’s reasoning. They were stupid for not doing this sooner, Marco thought while ignoring that things wouldn’t have been the same had they done this sooner. It was easier to pretend things were completely simple now that they got to this point.

“So stupid,” he said instead, just holding Ace close.

Ace’s fingers were blindly stroking along his cheekbone, soft and trailing fire against his skin. He shifted a little, letting himself slip out of Marco fully, allowing them both to get more comfortable. 

But Ace didn’t seem any more eager to separate than Marco was, only rolling a bit to the side so he could get his arms around Marco.

“You didn’t say anything to me,” Ace broke the silence that settled around them, sounding more serious than he had moments before. “I don’t even know for how long.”

He didn’t sound accusatory, just mildly curious and Marco dared to look at him.

Instead of speaking, Marco started trailing the tips of his fingers up and down Ace’s back, tracing the bumps of his spine, sure he could feel the freckles he knew were there too. Marco let the words sit there for a moment, until he couldn’t really tell if they were spoken at all. 

“Because I didn’t think it would change anything,” he said honestly, struggling a little to think of a way to explain how he felt. “Knowing I can trust you with my life, and that you trust me with yours is what matters.”

“There’s almost nothing I wouldn’t trust you with and that won’t change now,” he added when Ace pulled back a bit to look at him better, the confused frown Marco disliked clear on his face. “Obviously I didn’t take the sex into account.”

“Does the sex change anything?” Ace asked with an amused snort, the frown once again gone, leaving him relaxed and happy again.

“Doesn’t change how I feel about you,” Marco said, briefly pulling Ace closer to press their lips together. “Would definitely be interested in doing it again.”

Ace hummed against his lips. “We’re doing this again for sure. There are a lot of things I need you to do to me and not enough time today.”

“I already said I’d do  _ anything _ you want,” Marco told him, grinning at the little groan Ace let out. “It’s an open invitation, promise I’ll continue being good for you too.”

“Fuck, Marco,” Ace said with another groan, his eyes falling shut momentarily. “I don’t think I can handle you saying that right now.” 

Marco said nothing, just continued trailing the same path along Ace’s back with his fingertips. Ace’s skin was so smooth, he couldn’t get enough of touching it and knowing it was completely welcome.

“It’s too early for round two,” Ace said, bumping his nose into Marco’s. “I’m pretty sure I forgot how to move and my legs may give out too.”

“Aw, it was good for me too,” Marco teased, nuzzling back into Ace.

“Bold attitude from someone who probably can’t even stand up right now,” Ace teased right back.

“Why would I want to get up?” Marco asked and pulled Ace as close as possible. “I’m pretty comfortable right here.

He pressed his lips against the corner of Ace’s mouth just to get his point across; there was nowhere he’d rather be than right there with Ace.

“You’re getting sweet on me again,” Ace said, then caught Marco’s lips in a brief kiss. Just a soft chaste little thing, but Marco was on fire with the sweetness of it.

“I’m always sweet for you.” 

He grinned as he said it, chest blossoming with a warmth he could tell wouldn’t leaving him anytime soon. 

But Ace only snorted at his reply, ignoring his bullshit as always.

“So, Izou dressed you up,” Ace said, changing the subject, but his tone was full of the same teasing. “And sent you over here with no underwear. That sends a pretty strong message.”

He broke down and laughed before the words were even out of his mouth, and Marco couldn’t help but join in.

“The robe was his doing,” Marco told him through the laughter, “but I have no one but myself to blame for the underwear situation.”

Ace stopped laughing abruptly, his pupils going wide as he observed Marco silently.

The pause lasted long enough to be worrying in any other situation, but Marco could feel a futile little twitch from Ace’s cock against his thigh.

“You go around with nothing under your stupid pants?” Ace asked, sounding again like he didn’t know how to breathe.

“Sometimes,” Marco replied with as much of a shrug as he could give when lying on his side. 

“Fuck,” Ace said, bordering on breathless. “Marco, I don’t know what to do with this knowledge.”

“I’m sure we’ll find something to do,” Marco told him with another kiss. “Later.”

With that he slid down the bed a little, until he could tuck his face under Ace’s chin and breathe him in. Ace took the change in stride, moving his leg so Marco could press one of his thighs in the space between, to surround himself with warmth and please the phoenix.

Ace hummed above him, face pressed into his hair as he wound his arms around Marco’s shoulders.

“You really  _ are _ sweet, love,” Ace whispered, sounding awed, the tips of his fingers like an open flame against Marco’s back. “Gonna have to thank Izou, aren’t I?”

“Izou has nothing to do with me being sweet to you,” Marco said into Ace’s collarbone. “Only you.”

He knew Ace heard him no matter how softly he’d spoken, he could feel the smile against the top of his head and in the way Ace’s fingers caressed the back of his shoulder. There was no need to really say anything out loud.

“I meant for wrapping you up and leaving you in my room,” Ace said just as softly, an amused note in his voice.

“I guess you will,” Marco hummed, but put thoughts of Izou and his foresight out of mind for the moment, while this thing was still just between the two of them. 

“Tomorrow morning?” Ace asked, squirming against Marco so they’re as close to each other as possible.

“Tomorrow morning.”

* * *

The morning started off in complete silence, with Marco opening his eyes out of sheer paranoia that some kind of mischief was happening. But his arms were wrapped around Ace, the entirety of his body soaking in all the warmth, and the uneasy feeling subsided to make way for a kind of contentedness he wasn’t used to.

It also reminded him that they’d missed the big celebration the night before, with how wrapped up in each other they’d been. Marco couldn’t say he regretted it, but a moment’s hesitation reared its ugly head when he considered Ace could regret missing what was partially his birthday party. But it was a brief thought at best, interrupted with the small sound Ace let out in his sleep before burrowing closer to Marco’s chest.

His face was tucked under Marco’s chin, each breath fanning over the skin of Marco’s neck in a soft rhythm that lulled him back into calm. He could easily get used to mornings like this, where Ace warmed him to the core despite the frost clinging to the window above them.

“G’ back to sleep,” Ace mumbled against his skin, sending a delightful shiver through him. “‘s early.”

Marco had to agree, it was early, but he wanted to get up and find them some breakfast before the rest of the crew got to it. They were all bound to be hungover and in a collective bad mood, something Marco knew too well, from all the post party mornings he’d spent supplying aspirin for his division and the other commanders. 

“Want to bring you breakfast,” Marco said, nuzzling into Ace’s hair. “Need to find some clothes too.”

“No und’rware,” Ace mumbled again, curling further against Marco. 

Marco laughed as quietly as possible with his face hidden in Ace’s hair, all of him smelling slightly of pineapple from all the lube they’d used the night before.

“Coffee,” he mumbled some more, as if Marco needed to be told how important coffee was to Ace in the mornings.

“Of course,” Marco said, shifting in an attempt to get out of bed despite how much he wanted to stay. “Any other wishes?”

“Jus’ com’ back,” Ace said and let him go with obvious reluctance, rolling over to the other side of the bed and going back to sleep.

Sleep always came so easy to him and Marco envied it a little.

With a fair amount of regret, he got out of bed and found the robe he’d worn the night before, just to avoid walking back to his room naked. It wouldn’t be the first time, but it was the easiest way to draw attention to himself after he was missing from their party.

He didn’t bother with tying a bow, just picked up his sash from the floor once the robe was wrapped around him. The walk between their rooms wasn’t too long anyway.

With a last mournful glance towards the bed, where Ace lay splayed out completely naked and looking incredibly warm and peaceful, Marco tried to make his way towards the door. He didn’t make it very far before he turned again, walking over to the bed just to place a kiss on top of Ace’s head.

“Hmmm,” Ace hummed contentedly, without opening his eyes. “Love you, pretty bird,” he added softly, the words coming out in a slight slur, but more than clear enough to Marco.

He smiled down at Ace, even though Ace was already snoring lightly and couldn’t see.

“I know, love,” he whispered, brushing some hair away from Ace’s forehead. 

He leaned down to press his lips against Ace’s shoulder as well, before finally leaving the room. The halls were completely deserted, uncharacteristically silent, but providing Marco with the comfort of returning to his own room unnoticed. No one had to see him slink around half naked, with questionable stains on a robe that definitely didn’t belong to him.

The situation was pretty much the same when he’d left again to rope Thatch into giving him some breakfast, knowing he’d be one of the rare people already up, along with Marco.

Marco had been expecting the empty bottles everywhere and the general mess from the party, knowing the rookies would be up soon to clean up. But he hadn’t been expecting Izou, strangely disheveled and tired looking, sitting at the only clean table in the galley. His hair was pulled back into a braid that no one but Thatch could have made. 

“Well don’t you look cheerful,” he said with a look that should have been scary, but instead just revealed how hungover Izou was.

“You look like shit,” Marco said with a grin. 

Izou didn’t get drunk often, but the New Year celebration was always that one time he let loose and drank his weight in rum and sake. 

“Thanks,” Izou replied and looked very unhappy about it. “Why are you up already?”

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” Marco asked as he sat down across from Izou. “You look like you should be sleeping for another day or two at least.”

Izou groaned in a way he’d never do in front of anyone else. 

“I know,” Izou said with a sigh, “and I probably will.”

“Waiting for Thatch?” Marco asked, despite knowing the answer already. 

Izou’s stupid smitten smile was answer enough as is.

“He’s making coffee and some food,” Izou told him. “He’s making enough for you too.”

Thatch was always the only one up in the morning, probably the only one not drinking at their parties, and he always had something ready for the rest of them. 

“Both of you,” Izou added with a smug little grin.

“I’ll be sure to thank him,” Marco replied. “For both the food and the lube.”

That was enough to make Izou groan.

“I regret saying anything,” he said, a bit whinier than he usually was when sober. “I’m not mentally equipped to give you shit right now.”

“Does that mean I can tell you all about my night and you’ll be nice?” Marco asked, barely stopping himself from laughing out loud at the face Izou was pulling.

“I don’t need to know anything,” he said. “I don’t  _ want _ to know anything more than I already do.”

“But I have so much to tell you,” Marco said, biting his lip to stay serious in the face of Izou’s hungover despair.

He whined a little, reaching up to cover his ears as if expecting Marco to just start describing everything he’d done with Ace in great detail. Of course that wasn’t going to happen, but it was funny enough for him that Izou believe it a possibility.

“Okay, okay, leave him alone,” Thatch said from the entrance to the kitchens, striding over with a tray that looked ready to topple over. 

As if that could happen to him.

“You had your fun, and he’s already miserable,” Thatch added, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Izou’s head as soon as he was close enough for that. 

“You’re no fun,” Marco told him with a grin that only widened when Izou groaned again.

“You’re welcome,” Thatch told him, all smug and cocky while Izou was too tired and hungover to fill that role. “For the food that I left in the kitchen, and for the lube.”

“You’re just as bad as he is,” Marco said, tilting his head over in Izou’s direction. “Taking all the fun out of everything.”

“You’re looking for fun in the wrong place,” Thatch told him with a snort. “Go take that food before someone steals it, get the coffee too while it’s still hot and go back to bed.”

“And you’re welcome. Again,” he added, and Marco didn’t miss the lovesick look Izou was giving Thatch with his bloodshot eyes and smudged makeup. 

They were sickeningly sweet around each other, but for once Marco didn’t feel his chest tightened with the weight of not knowing what it felt like to be with someone like that. Just the thought made him smile, the urge to mess with Izou all but gone.

“Thank you,” he said honestly, knowing they’d both understand.

Izou’s watery smile confirmed that not a moment later.

“Go to bed now,” he said, standing up from the table to grab food and coffee from the kitchen. “I have somewhere to be too.”

Days like these could be his favorites; when the ship was silent and the ocean was calm beneath them, and Ace was waiting for him to come back to bed.

**Author's Note:**

> This used to be 12 consecutive ficlets (total of 6k words) in my MarcoAce ficlet collection Fire and Flames. I've written them years ago on a dare kind of and the fact there were 12 of them made sense back then with the way I was writing them, but I was reminded of these recently and I went back to take a look. I noticed they were full of headcanons and characterizations I no longer like nor want in my writing so I completely redid the whole thing. The premise stayed basically the same, except now it's much better and much longer.
> 
> Feedback on this new and improved version is always welcome :)


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